Dunc led me along the hallway to a large area filled with chin-high dividers. Then in one of the cubicles, he pulled me into a hug as near-silent chuckling shook his body. "How wonderfully ballsy that was, cutting the price so much. What if he had refused?"
"He wouldn't have. My balls were all hanging at pocket lips, needing only a tap in. He had earlier shown his eagerness to be rid of it, referring to it as a hot potato. You had mentioned his dislike of distressed employees. Then, when he said he had hoped for this outcome, he flubbed his shot, and it was my turn."
"True – now looking back at it and analysing. But you saw it instantly and lunged."
As I rose to my toes to receive his kiss, a voice came from the other side of a divider, "Is that the former Plimpton's chain off our hands, Duncan?"
Dunc straightened and released the hug. "Indeed, it is, Kira. Only the paperwork and details left."
"Among my go-to places before the collapse. The Richards Street one was so close to here for lunch. I hope it recovers."
"Give me two weeks, then come try us," I said as I stepped up to the divider and looked over it, seeing nobody. Maybe the next cubicle. "I'm Gigi, the new owner."
"And the Executive Chef," Dunc added. "Cut her teeth in the kitchens of the Four Seasons and Cardinal's. Exciting things coming, so spread the word."
"I certainly will," a tall, buxom redhead said as she came around the divider and extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Gigi. As Duncan said, I'm Kira – oh, wow! You're so young. Sorry, but new owner and executive chef mean much older in my books."
"Or brilliant and superbly talented," Dunc replied. "She's the perfect one to resurrect the chain."
"You've always been good at identifying great women, Duncan." She shook her shoulders to jiggle the huge mass beneath her blouse. "Pity you don't know what to do with them."
"We've been through this before, Kira. Many times, and this is neither the time nor the place to visit it again. Ms Gallini and I have an offer of purchase to draft and sign."
Hmmm! A sour note. Not a good place to end this. "If you wish, Kira, I can invite you to some of the soft openings as we test menus and train staff."
"Ooh! Like in Kitchen Nightmares."
"Yes, but these will be unstaged and without the artificial drama needed for so-called reality TV. This is the real stuff, Kira."
"Oh, Wow! Could you also invite some of my foodie friends?"
"Yes, certainly. The more knowledgeable, the better. My experience is at the top end of fine dining, and I want to make that quality accessible to more than only those with very deep pockets. Informed and intelligent feedback will help us tweak the menus."
Kira and I continued along this line while Dunc turned on the computer and tapped at the keyboard, then a couple of minutes later, he said, "Sit here, Ms Gallini. I need your information to complete this template."
"Yes, business. I'll be in touch, Kira."
A few minutes later, after the details had been entered in the spaces and we had reviewed the offer on the screen, Dunc sent it to the printer, turned off the computer and rose from his chair. "Come, Ms Gallini. We'll pick up the documents down the hall, sign them, leave a copy in the admin office and be on our way."
"Good luck, Gigi," came a voice from the other side of the divider.
"Thank you, Kira. See you in a few days. I'll have Mr McSweeny give you the details when they're sorted."
"How many of us would you like? There are fourteen in our TASS club."
"Tass club?"
"Thirties and still searching." She chuckled. "A bunch of man-starved foodies."
"Great! I'll invite you all."
A while later, with the paperwork done and we were again in an empty elevator cabin, Dunc and I merged in a passionate kiss, regaining propriety only when the elevator slowed. As others entered, he said, "You've a great knack for marketing, Gigi."
"How so?"
"You've just gained fourteen loyal followers – repeat customers, and they'll spread the word."
"Hmm! I just wanted to smooth the ragged edge."
"Ragged edge?"
"Your somewhat curt dismissal of Kira needed a positive note added."
"Yeah. Seems I've lost patience with her. She's been trying to seduce me since I first joined the company. Gone from shapely to very top-heavy, from pleasant brunette through various shades of red – auburn to orange. Can't get it through her head that I'm how I was created, not how I choose to be."
"Aha, that explains it. Much like me being called cold and uncaring. They just don't understand."
"Cold and uncaring is so far from reality, Gigi. It's only when others see romantic aspects in a situation and then make assumptions from your not seeing them."
"Yeah, Marcy had explained it like this – which reminds me." I reached into my case, pulled out my phone and turned it on. "I need to check if she's okay. That would have been a huge shock to her."
"The videos?"
"Yeah." When my phone cycled on and I thumbed in, I saw notifications for an email, two missed calls and two texts. "Appears she's been trying to reach me."
Remembering the email was from John, I thought, later. Then, I opened the text app and read the most recent.
You're quiet, Gigi.
Cocooning with your new hunk?
Don't forget me. Still love you.
I scrolled up to the previous.
The vids are gone, Gigi.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
So sorry to have accused you.
"Wow! The vids have been removed, Dunc. The police work fast."
"The holding company of that site and many of the others is Canadian, so they respond quickly to DMCA requests from our police."
"DMCA?"
"The international agreement on copyright violation." He looked around the now crowded cabin, then he leaned close to my ear and whispered, "The company that owns many of the major porn sites is based in Montreal."
"So, their fast compliance is to not stir the waters."
"Yeah, experienced. Mafia hotbed and all that. Quebec isn't as pious as the demographics indicate."
"I wonder whether the ones of me with –" I shuddered at the thought of Garth. "The other ones with me are still there."
"If the police have gathered their evidence, they're likely gone, as well." He took my right hand and placed it on his left forearm as he guided me out of the elevator. "You're safe with me, Gigi. My sword arm is free."
With my curiosity, and knowing it would be slow to load on the phone, I opened Chrome as soon as we stepped onto the escalator. By the time we had arrived on the platform, PornTube was up, and to save having to wait for all of Garth's solo vid thumbnails to load, I entered megalips in the search window. When it finally loaded, I scrolled through the results, relieved to see I wasn't among the dozen or so. "Gone, Dunc. Thank God, they're gone."
He hugged me to his side. "I'll check other sites to see if he's posted them elsewhere. We've now a fast-track to the police for takedowns."
A low rumbling accompanied by an increasing wind announced a train approaching the station, and I looked up at the clock. "Ten thirty-four. No time to change – directly to the restaurant."
"I would have suggested not changing, anyway, Gigi. Dressed like this, you'll solidly establish your image as the new owner."
"Every day like this?"
"No, casual is perfectly fine – except for important occasions."
As we boarded the train, I asked, "Important. Like what?"
He shrugged. "The grand opening. Media interviews arising from it. That sort of thing."
"I should be in whites and toque for those – the chef is who people need to connect with. Besides, does it need to be known that I own the chain?"
"Hmmm! A fine question. But what do we tell the staff?"
"There's a new owner, and they've approved investing time and money into properly setting up for a reopening."
"And the owner chooses to remain anonymous."
"No need to say that. Just let it be assumed."
We discussed this and other details as we rode to the Olympic Village station, continuing while we walked along the street to the restaurant. When we entered, I felt everyone's eyes on me as the room went quiet. Then Danielle stepped forward from a small group and spread her arms. "Oh, wow! It's Gigi! So formal and spiffy? Almost didn't recognise you."
I laughed as I spun about and struck a series of poses for her. "Just coming from a meeting to organise the way forward. Exciting stuff."
"Tell us about it."
"We will at eleven." I nodded toward the ladies room. "I need to go – come with me, and I'll give you a sneak preview."
The four others in her group joined us, and as we walked, I said, "There's a new owner, a serious one, so we'll be given ample time and funding to open properly."
"Oh, wow! Tell us more."
"A very understanding owner who has just bet a small fortune that we'll succeed." I pushed the door open and led the way in. "We'll tell you more at eleven – when all have gathered."
Then in a stall and seated, I said, "I looked at that webcam site, Danielle, but all I saw was a man infatuated with his endowment. Not a woman in any of them."
"Oh, what a shame. You'd have found them funny." She chuckled. "Endowment's a great word for it. What did you think of his?"
"Meh! I've had better."
"Oh, wow! Lucky you."
"I'd still like to see my hot twin, though. Did you download any of them?"
"You can't download from those sites."
"Hmmm! Yeah, likely to do with copyright laws."
"More to help protect the privacy of the people," one of the other women said. "I heard some of that stuff on there is uploaded without permission. Revenge porn, it's called – put there by spiteful exes."
"The downloading's blocked to keep it from spreading," another said.
"That's good." I shuddered, thinking about the workarounds. "And speaking of spreading, we need to tell all our friends and families about the chain reopening. Have them spread the word, see if we can get awareness growing exponentially."
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Points to consider in this chapter:
What are your thoughts about Kira?
Is the interaction among the women in the restroom realistic?
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